TEHRAN, May 09 (MNA) – Iran’s Parl. Speaker Ali Larijani said Mon. If the US stops intervening in the areas related to terrorism and fighting it, the regional problems will have a chance to get settled.

Ali Larijani made the remark in the 21st congress of commanders and senior officials of the Iranian police force on Monday, adding “I doubt our efforts in fighting terrorism will yield results in a short span of time; however, full support must be given to the country’s police force which has gained satisfactory experience in fighting terrorism.”

The parliament speaker commended the police force for its tremendous efforts in maintaining peace and security across the country, adding “the region has never been as chaotic and conflict-ridden as it is now; in the east, west and south of the country, we are witness to regional and international interventions that threaten our national security.”

He went on to add, “the regional problems are caused by the presence of bandits and terrorist activities originated from known sources. Luckily, Iran enjoys stable security and the police force has had a prominent role in maintaining this security.”

Larijani then touched upon the budget allocated to the police and armed forces, saying “we have added a considerable amount to the budget of the police as well as other sectors of the armed forces who are active in providing security against bandits and counterrevolutionary agents, as well as terrorist groups present on the borders.”

He also deemed efforts of the police force in reducing the number of car accidents and fatalities related to them ‘highly successful’, saying “our problems on the case of car accidents owe largely to non-standard roads and low quality cars.”

Larijani further noted contraband as one of the major obstacles against economic boom, saying “at the moment, about 20 billion dollars’ worth of goods are smuggled into Iran, which deals a serious blow to the country’s ‘Resistance Economy’ strategy.”

He went on to add, “the engine of production can start only when measures are taken to stop smuggling. No factory can ever compete with the vast influx of goods imported via illicit channels, and a large part of our problems are due to contraband.”

It is argued that every 10,000 US dollar worth of contraband equals the loss of at least one job opportunity for a young Iranian, which puts the annual rate of lost job opportunities up to 1 million.